friends, lovers and enemies
by ChelseaMaria
Summary: Liz gets attacked by an alien and becomes scared of the czechs and Maria and Alex have to find out what happend and keep the truth from michael and Isabel and Max starts asking questions as frustration grows
1. building bridges

Authors note: Hey guys I'm not totally sure what rating to give this so I've put it under pg13, but as it contains a serious issue and anyone thinks it is unsuitable here just let me know and I'll put it under R. Thanks.  
  
"Hey." Michael shouted to his girlfriend Maria, who was gliding down the hallway towards him.  
  
"Hey yourself. So listen Michael I've got a favour to ask you." Maria said speaking at an extremely fast speed. Michael sighed out loud suddenly realising his girlfriend couldn't have been that cheery towards him all morning for nothing.  
  
"Listen buster I don't know why your complaining for this could benefit you." She said giving him a devilish grin. Michael eyed her back suspiciously but he could feel a small smile forming on his lips.  
  
"Hum, I like the sound of that. So what is it." He asked suspiciously raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, my mom's going to some oldies rock concert tonight with Jim and I don't wanna stay in the house by myself, so could I stay at your place." She asked in a coy voice intertwining her fingers with his.  
  
"Why don't I just stay at yours, it'll be easier for you right." Michael suggested, but Maria looked up at him from under her eyelashes in an embarrassed way, which kind of surprised Michael, as he'd never seen his girlfriend embarrassed or shy.  
  
"Well I kind of like it at yours. It's so YOU, and it's really comforting." She confessed playing with her nails. She was expecting Michael to come out with some comment, but he didn't. Instead he kissed her or the cheek.  
  
"Course you can, but you know, it better be benefiting me." He informed her walking away but still looking at her, and then he turned and ran calling after Max who's just walked by. Maria smiled a cheeky smile and commented on how much she loved to get to Michael and went off in search of Liz.  
  
Liz was pulling out numerous heavy textbooks from her locker when her best friend found her. Maria opened her mouth to speak when Liz cut her short.  
  
"So Maria listen. My parents are going out of town tonight to some rock concert a few towns away, so I was thinking maybe we should go out and have some fun." Liz exclaimed.  
  
"Oh Liz couldn't you have asked sooner. My mums going with Jim aswell. So I already asked Michael if I could stay at his. You know I'd normally cancel and go with you right, but we haven't spent much time together lately." Maria replied regretfully.  
  
"I know it's okay. So, I take it you were about to ask if I can take your shift tonight so you can go over there. Am I right." Liz chipped in. Maria smiled at her friend sweetly and hugged her.  
  
"Oh thank you Liz. You're the best friend EVER. I'll do the same for you when you wanna go out with Max." Maria rushed as the bell rang and Liz hurried off to her next lesson.  
  
Michael swung open the front door of his apartment and was bounded on by his little pixie girlfriend knocking him backwards, tripping over a bag sending them both crashing to the floor laughing and kissing. Michael pulled himself up and hauled Maria with him. He shut the door behind him and went over the settee.  
  
"Where's your stuff." He asked.  
  
"Well I got my toothbrush in my pocket and hairbrush in my handbag." She replied patting the tiny bag over her arm.  
  
"What about you other stuff. Don't you like need more than that, and why did you bring a hairbrush but no clothes." He quizzed confused.  
  
"Well first of all I wasn't sure if you owned a hairbrush." She replied pointing at his scraggly hair, which Michael patted proudly as Maria continued. " Second of all, I figured I could wear one of your t - shirts to bed, then I'll wear these clothes home in the morning." Michael frowned unsure of the last comment.  
  
"Excuse me, my t - shirts are not meant to be worn to bed." He argued. Maria raised her eyebrow and sniffed.  
  
"Whatever Michael, we'll see." She replied. Michael stood to his feet surprised she wasn't fighting back.  
  
"Ok, the fact that you're not arguing back at me is kind of freaking me out."  
  
"That was my plan. So you wanna continue what we started." She suggested grinning at him and he smiled back with a boyish grin and the two started making out again.  
  
Michael was awoken from his deep sleep with a ringing in his ears. He glanced down at Maria who was resting her head and hand on his chest, she was still fast asleep and he gently shifted her to reach for the phone silently cursing it. He picked up the receiver giving the person on the other end a groggy hello.  
  
"Michael, its Max, is Maria there." Max asked in a frightened tone.  
  
"Yeah, why?" He asked suspiciously sitting upright in bed.  
  
" I need you to get her to the hospital NOW." He demanded.  
  
"What, Max why, what is it. What's the matter." Michael exclaimed practically shouting down the phone. He was getting increasingly agitated. He noticed Maria stir in the corner of his eye and he shook her arm to make her fully wake up.  
  
"It's Liz, she's been . . . She's been attacked Michael. She won' let me see her. The nurses said she keeps asking for Maria." Max explained his voice faltering.  
  
"We'll be right there Max." Michael insisted slamming down the phone and turning to a sleepy Maria who was rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Michael what is." She asked concerned at the look of panic in his eyes.  
  
"Maria we need to get to the hospital. It's Liz."  
  
"What, Michael what's happened." Maria demanded jumping out of the bed frantically searching around for her jeans.  
  
"I don't really know. Max just said she's been attacked and she's asking for you." Michael answered throwing on a t- shirt and some jeans. In a matter of seconds the two teenagers had darted out of the house and into Maria's Jetta speeding off to the hospital.  
  
"Max." Maria exclaimed as she walked through the reception and saw Max pacing the floor. He turned around and swung his arms around her.  
  
"She won't talk to me Maria. I went in and she just freaked out. She only wants to talk to you." He explained letting the petite blonde go.  
  
"Call her parents. Where's her room." She instructed. Max pointed it out and Maria followed whilst Max went off in search of a pay phone. Michael slumped into an uncomfortable plastic chair and a feeling of unease washed over him.  
  
Maria rushed into Liz's room and grabbed a hold of her fragile friend enveloping her in a hug.  
  
"It's okay Liz, I'm here." Maria soothed perching herself on the end of her crying friend's bed.  
  
"What happened babe." Maria questioned.  
  
"It was awful Maria. He forced his way in as I was trying to close the restaurant." Liz informed her between sobs.  
  
"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it know if you don't want to." Maria insisted.  
  
"No I want to." Liz replied her voice faltering.  
  
"He had a gun. He pushed me towards the counter and took the takings first. Then he . . . he, he pushed me over to one of the counters, at first he was just punching me, then, then he forced himself on me." Liz explained in between gasps of air then as she mentioned the final part she collapsed into a flood of tears but mumbled something, which Maria couldn't quite make out.  
  
"What, what did you say." She asked warily.  
  
"I said, he wasn't human, he was an alien Maria." 


	2. foundation of trust

"What! Sweetie are you serious?" Maria questioned. Liz Just stared at Maria with a serious expression, confirming that it was the truth.  
  
"I wouldn't joke about this Maria." Maria nodded her head in understanding and struggled to think of what to do next when a thought occurred to her.  
  
"Have you told Max?" Liz shook her head vigorously as if the idea were absurd. Maria became confused at her best friend's actions and scooted forward on Liz's bed and reached out and held her friend's hand.  
  
"Why not Liz?" Maria asked gently, wondering why Liz looked so nervous at the sound of his name.  
  
"Well I'm sorry Maria but telling Max so he can continue in his quest to find home wasn't first on my agenda when I saw him. I'm more concerned with myself right now, I don't care whether this is connected to him, or any of the others." Liz snapped tuning her head to look out of the window. Maria recoiled out the harsh sound of her friend's voice; it was so un- Liz like. This wasn't the reaction she'd expected.  
  
"I'm sorry Maria, everything's just thrown up in the air right now and I just want you to comfort me and tell me everything's gonna be okay." Liz apologised turning back to face Maria whose face reflected concern. Maria grabbed hold of Liz and hugged her tightly and Liz gripped back for dear life gripping the back of Maria's t- shirt crying. Maria rubbed her friend's back and smoothed down her hair.  
  
"Everything WILL be fine Liz. It will, I promise." Maria whispered into Liz's ear. Michael walked in at that time interrupting the moment.  
  
"I'm sorry." He said alerting their attention to him. Liz sprung out of Maria's hand and held onto her blanket instead and tried to get behind Maria. Maria regarded her friend's behaviour oddly and turned to Michael.  
  
"No, what is it?"  
  
"Alex just got here with Isabel, he's not sure weather it's okay for him to come in." Michael announced then whispered to Maria." I said I'd check, since Isabel is too scared to come in, and Max isn't allowed. I tried to knock but no- one answered." He explained apologetically looking on edge and purely uncomfortable with the situation. Maria looked at Liz who shook her nodded in confirmation.  
  
"But can you give me five first please." Liz asked meekly.  
  
"Of course sweetie, whatever you want." Maria insisted as Michael left. Maria went to get up but Liz's caught her arm and stopped her.  
  
"Thanks Maria."  
  
"It's fine." Maria reassured placing her hand on top of Liz's.  
  
"Could you get me a brush and a band at the hospital store whilst your gone please." Liz pleaded and Maria nodded leaving Liz alone to collect her thoughts. As Maria entered the waiting room she took in the sights of her friends. Max was pacing the small room wringing his hands. Alex and Isabel were sat on the couch gripping hands, Alex staring into the distance and Isabel looking at him concerned, and Michael was leaning against the wall drinking coffee from a polystyrene cup watching Max wear a hole in the carpet. Maria stepped through the doorway into the room alerting everyone's attention to her. Max rushed over shooting off loads of questions, which Maria couldn't focus on, and Alex came over hugging her in a death grip and Isabel and Michael stood behind Max just watching the exchange.  
  
"Can I go in, Michael said she wanted some time." Alex asked eagerly.  
  
"Yeah, in a minute, she just wants five to collect herself. I've gotta go get her some stuff from the shop So . . ." Maria explained letting the sentence hang.  
  
"Yeah, I'll come with you. Let's go." Alex offered taking Maria by the elbow, but as they were about to leave Max blocked their path.  
  
"Maria answer my question1" Max demanded.  
  
"What one?" Maria replied tiredly.  
  
"What's going on? What happened, why won't she see me?"  
  
"I said one Max, not three, but I'll try and answer them all. I don't know, she was attacked and again I don't know. It's probably cos you're a guy, she freaked when Michael walked in too she's probably just nervous and scared around guys right now, she's unsure. Just give her time." Maria reassured leaving then with Alex. When they were out of ear shot Alex began to question her.  
  
"Okay, now there out of the way tell me what's happening. I now theirs something else, something even deeper. I can tell with you Ria. Now what's the real answers to Max's questions." Maria sighed knowing it was better not to argue so she searched the hallways and pulled Alex into an empty room.  
  
"It was a Czech who dunnit to her Alex. And he attacked her yeah that was true, but theirs more I know it. It goes deeper. I think he warned about something. She's definitely scared of being around the others. You should have seen the way she reacted when Michael came in, it was like a child meeting a stranger and hiding behind their mom. And what I told max about her wanting to avoid males, that's not it. I mean she's seeing you, and she was fine with the prospect of that. She has a male doctor and all. I don't think its males that bother her. It's Czechoslovakians Alex. Something bigger happened than what's she letting on, and I'm kinda scared to find out what it is." Maria admitted as she was enveloped in another hug by Alex who supported her, as he knew she was trying to be strong for Liz and so needed someone to be strong for her, and he was going to be that person. When he pulled away he addressed her with a question that was playing on his mind.  
  
"Are we gonna tell them?"  
  
"No, not yet. I think we need to find out what it all is first or they'll just go barging in there and demanding she tell them everything. No, we just tell them the human version. Something tells me Liz doesn't want them to know anything quite yet, and I don't wanna upset her anymore than she already is." Alex nodded in agreement and they decided that the best thing to do was keep the others in the dark for a while and concentrate on Liz, a she was their main priority.  
  
"Yeah, your right, she needs us right now, the last thing she needs is the breaking of her trust of her best friends. We need to help Liz, first and foremost." Alex chipped in thinking of his best friend and from what his other best friend had described it sounded as if pressure from the Czechs was the last thing that she needed. 


End file.
